Ensilage blower having swinging feed hopper



33, 1946. R. B. HITCHCOCK ET AL 9 ENSILAGE BLOWER HAVING SWINGING FEEDHOPPER Filed July 22, 19 44 4 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 13', 14. R. B.HIITCHCOCK ET AL ENSILAGE BLOWER HAVING SWINGING FEED HOPPER Filed July22, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 fiavni ora' Aug, E3, 1945.

R. B. HITCHCOCK ET AL A5 5 ENSILAGE BLOWER HAVING SWINGING FEED HOPPERFiled July 22, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 flax-B. Hai a/ c0 ck a nci Jamaal E.H 115210772,

of the ensilage blower. farmers that use ensilage blowers do not'havePatented Aug. 13, 1946 ENSILAGE BLOWER HAVING SWINGING FEED HOPPER RexB. Hitchcock, Evanston, and Samuel E. Hilblom, Chicago, 111., assignorsto International Harvester Company, a corporation of New JerseyApplication July 22, 1944, Serial No. 546,144

Claims. 1

This invention relates to a new and improved ensilage blower and has forone of its principal objects a provision of means for swinging the feedtrough from a position parallel with the fan to a position perpendicularto the fan with a minimum number of operating parts.

An important object of this invention is to provide an easilytransportable ensilage blower and one that is capable of having itsfeedtrough in either one of two positions to enable the user to place thetrough so as to best receive the material discharged from a wagon ortruck, or the like, when filling a silo.

Heretofore ensilage blowers have customarily employed a fixedlypositioned feed trough, and the usual position of this feed trough wasat right angles to the blower or fan which elevated the ensilage to thesilo. Farmyards may be and are arranged in numerou ways. A road or laneis usually provided adjacent the silo. The ensilage to be stored ishauled to the silo in a Wagon or truck which usually has end gatedischarges. The ensilage blower is set up so that the fan is parallel orrather tangent to the circumference of the silo. The feed trough of themajority of ensilage blowers projects out into the road lying next tothe silo. In view of the fact that the discharge from the wagons ortrucks is at the end of the vehicle, it is necessary that the vehicle bebacked into position in order that the load may be easily dischargeddirectly into the feed trough A good majority of the trucks which arereadily backed into position but employ wagons drawn by tractors. It isquite difiicult to back a tractor-drawn wagon into discharge positionadjacent the perpendicularly extending feed trough of an ensilageblower. In numerous situations, the space around the silo is so limitedthat it is impossible to turn a truck or a tractor-drawn wagon around.In order to compensate for the apparent difficulty, some wagonmanufacturer have provided side discharges for their wagons, andimplement companies have sold two types of ensilage blowers, one ofwhich has had the feed trough extendin perpendicular to the blower fan,and the other which has had its feed trough extending parallel to theblower fan. It. therefore, became possible for a farmer to purchase thetype of ensilage blower and wagon whichtbest fitted his needs. Hisneeds, of course, would depend on several things, namely, the availablespace around the silo and the direction of the road adjacent the silo.

It is a special object of the present invention l, 2 I to provide anensilage blower that is suited for operation under all conditions. Thefeed trough is quickly hiftable from a position parallel to the blowerfan to a position perpendicular to the blower fan, and it is, therefore,obvious that discharge from a wagon having either end or side gates maybe accommodated. Further, when the space available around the silo islimited, it is possible to set up the ensilage blower with the feedtrough parallel to the blower-fan, and after driving the load ofensilage material past the silo,

the feed trough of the blower can then be swung V to a positionperpendicular to the blower fan.

A still further important object of this invention is to provide a fixedfan. feed device positioned adjacent the fan inlet and joining with thedischarge end of a swingable feed trough. The fan feed devicefunctionsin the same manner, regardless of the positioning of the-feedtrough.

Other and further important objects will become apparent from thedisclosures in the following specification and accompanyingdrawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 i a front elevation of the ensilage blower .of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the ensilage blower as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the ensilageblower;

Fi 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the ensilage blower showing thefeed trough at right angles to the blower.

As shown in the drawings:

The reference numeral I0 indicates generally a base or skids on whichthe ensilage blower of this invention is mounted. A blower fan housing Il is located at one end of the base I0 and is positioned longitudinallythereof. A feed trough I2 lies adjacent the blower housing II andextends parallel thereto along the length of the skids Ill. The blowerhousing is provided with an upwardly extending discharge port I3 uponwhich may be attached extension conduits leading to the top of a silo orthe like.

The skid I0 are provided with upwardly inclined end portions I4 whichare joined by a cross-member I5, and in the central portion thereof, aforwardly extending tongue or hitch member I5 is provided for attachmentto a draft vehicle or the like. In order to, transport this ensilageblower during short travels about the immediate farm, the hitch'member'I5 i raised portation more difiicult. For longer trips, of

course, the device can be put on a truck. 1

The feed trough l2 has a relatively steep'wall l6 lying adjacent theblower housing The other side wall I! of the trough i2 is inclined at anangle such as shown in Figure 5. This pro-- vides a wide opening for thetop of the trough and insures ease of filling. .An open-end auger l8lies within the base portion of the trough and by means of its spiralflights I9 is adapted to feed ensilage within the hopper or trough l2 ina direction longitudinally of the length of the trough and toward theblower housing H. The discharge end 20 of the auger la is unsupportedand unobstructed so thatensilage being moved within the trough by theauger will pass freely out of the end 20 of the auger and into a chamber2| mounted over an opening 22 in the fan'housing The chamber 2| containsa vertically positioned fluted feed roll 23 adapted to rotate in thedirection indicated by the arrow 24, as shown in Fig. 3. The roll 23 hasradially extending flutes or paddles 25. Th housing 2| is circular inshape and conforms closely to the circumference of the fluted feed roll23. The feed trough i2 is separate from the chamber 2| and is joinedonly through i the restricted opening 26. This opening 26 is circular inshape and is only slightly greater in diameter than the diameter of theouter edges of the auger flight IS. It is apparent that by restrictingthis opening 25 to such size the material admitted to thechamber 2| islimited to the amount carried within the circumference of the auger.This feature tends to prevent congestion within the blower.

As the ensilage leaves the discharge end 20 of the auger |8, it isforced through the opening 26 and is thereupon carried by the paddles 25outwardly and thence around into the opening 22 in the fan housing Theensilage material therefore enters the fan housing at right anglesthereto in spite of the fact that the feed trough extends parallel tothe fan housing.

The ensilage blower. feed trough 2 is equipped at its outer end with aleg member i} which consists of a pair of spaced apart slotted anglmembers 5| and 50 which are slidably mounted on the central supportingchannel member 5|. The leg member 50 is equipped with a base or footportion 52 which, as shown in Fig. 4, rests on top of the skid crossmember l5. The edges of connecting links 56 which extend upwardly andare thereupon joined by a bail-shaped handle 5?. The legs 51*- and 51 ofthe bail handle 5? are fixedly pivoted at 58 to brackets 59 forming partof the feed trough l2. The ends of the links 53 are pivotally connectedto the leg members 5;!

4 and 51 of the handle 51. at points 62 midway between the hinge points58 of the handle and the cross or top member SI of the handle. As thehandle 51 is swung about its hinge members 58, it is quite obvious thatthe link members 56 will be raised and lowered depending upon thedirection of movement of the handle 51. As shown in Fig. 1, the linksare in their uppermost posi- Ition, and. henc the leg 53 is also in itstop position. The handle 51 has an automatic locking feature, and, asshown in Fig. 1, the handle 51 is locked by means of the overcenterlocation of the pivot point62 with respect to the hinge points 58.Tendency of the leg 58 to move downwardly will not cause the overcenterlocking of the handle 51 to release, but rather the handle 5'! must belifted and swung around from the top side.

The leg members 50 and 50* are provided with vertical slots 63 and 64which have sliding therein the pins 65 and 66, respectively, which arerigidly attached to the outer flanges of the cen tral channel member 5|.As the feed trough is lifted from its position on the cross member lb ofthe skids |0 and swung about the hinge member 61, it is essential thatthe leg 50 be extended downwardly to compensate for the lack of skidswhen the feed trough is in a perpendicular position with respect to theblower housing It The handle 51 is thereupon swung around and downwardlybeneath the hinge pins 58, so that the connecting links 56 force thelegs 50 and 50 downwardly. The foot 52 contacts the ground, and theslots 63 and 64 are moved downwardly until the studs or pins 65 and66,.slidabl within theseslots, contact the upper end of their respectiveslots.

. The blower housing contains a fan 2'! which is adapted to receivematerial entering the opening 22 and throw it and blow it upwardlythrough the discharge port l3. As best shown in Figure 1, the side wallof the blower housing I has a plurality of small apertures 28 positionedabove and to the left of the fluted feed roll compartment 2|. Theseapertures insure a constant supply of air for the fan 21, and noreliance is made on air being admitted through the feed opening 22. Theparticular positioning of the apertures 28 permits the entrance of airwithout harmful effects toward fan operating efficiency. The fan 21 inits travel within the housing picks up air as it passes the openings 28and comes down and around and picks up ensilage as it is fed into theentrance 22, whereupon the combination of air and ensilage is thrown andblown upwardly out the discharge port Hi.

The drive employed for the various elements,

such as the auger, the feed roll, and the fan, as

shown, is received from the pulley 29 which is driven from a tractorpower take-01f pulley but may possibly be driven by some stationaryengine or the like. The pulley 29 is mounted on and fastened to a shaftto which extends inwardly and at its opposite end supports the fan 2'!within the housing H. The shaft 30 is journaled within a suitablehousing 3| which is fastened to the stationary blower housing A bevelgear 32 is keyed or otherwise fastened to the shaft 3!! within thehousing 3|. A cooperating bevel gear 33is placed at right angles to thefirst bevel gear 32 and is also positioned within the supporting housing3|. The bevel gear 33 is keyed or otherwise fastened to a shaft '34which projects downwardly and carries a V- belt pulley or the like 35 atits lower end. A downward extension 36 of the housing 3| is adapted tojournally support the shaft 34. A V-belt pulley 31 is mounted on thelower end of a shaft 38 upon which is fastened the feed roller 23. AV-belt 39 joins the pulleys 35 and 31 and thus transmits rotation fromthe drive pulley 29 to .the feed roller 23. A worm 40 is keyed orotherwise fastened to the shaft 38 and is adapted to cooperate with aworm gear 4!. These ears, namely 40 and 4|, are mounted within a gearbox 42. The worm gear 4| is keyed to a shaft 43 which extends lengthwiseof the skids Hi. This shaft 43 is joined by a universal joint 44 to anextension shaft 45 which is in turn joined by a universal joint 46 to ashaft 41. A sprocket 48 is keyed to the end of the shaft 41. A secondsprocket 49 is mounted on the end of the auger l8, and by means of achain 50, rotary drive is transmitted from the sprocket 48 to thesprocket 49.

Swinging of the feed trough l2 from a position parallel to the blowerfan to a position perpendicular to the blower fan is accomplished byreason of the hinge 61 and the shaft 38. The shaft 38 is capable ofacting as a hinge, because the worm wheel 4| may swing about the worm 40on the shaft 38, and the V-belt ulley 31 may also be rotated withoutinterrupting or affectin the drive in any manner. Swinging of the trough12 to the perpendicular position necessitates a removal of a portion ofthe housing of the chamber 2|. The trough housing l2 terminates at thepartition wall which contains the opening 28. A curved gate member 69hinged at NJ on the blower fan housing II is capable of abutting the end68 of the feed trough l2 when in closed position, as shown in full linesin Fig. 3. In order that the feed trough may be moved to a perpendicularposition, the hinged gate 69 is moved to the dashed line position ofFig. 3 and the feed trough l2 swung around to the position shown indashed lines in Fig. 2 and as shown in Fig. 6. It will be apparent thatthe end 68 of the trough l2 will lie adjacent the hinged part H of thefan housing I I. The gat 69 is maintained in closed position by means ofa pin 72, joining latch members 13 and 14 attached'to the trough l2 andgate 69, respectively.

Feeding of ensilage or other material from the trough to the fan housingI l is accomplished with the same effect regardless of the position ofthe feed trough. The paddle wheel 23, moving in a clockwise direction asindicated by the arrow 24 in Fig. 3, will effect a substantialperpendicular feeding of ensilage material into the chamber I I. This istrue in the perpendicular position of the trough, as well as theparallel position of the trough, for the reason that the fluted feedroll 23 remains in fixed position in front of the fan housing opening22.

We are aware that herein is provided a novel ensilage blower capable ofnumerous adaptations.

What is claimed is:

1. In an ensilage blower, a fan, a fan housing having an opening in theside thereof, a feed roll mounted for rotation on a vertical shaftadjacent said opening, a housing for said feed roll, a feed troughhingedly mounted on said feed roll shaft, said feed trough forming acontinuation of said feed roll housing when the feed trough ispositioned parallel to said fan housing, and said feed roll housinghaving a side wall hinged to said fan housing, whereby said wall may beswung out of the way when said feed trough is moved to a positionperpendicular to said fan housing.

2. In an ensilage blower, a fan, a fan housing having an opening in theside thereof, a feed roll journaled on a vertical shaft for rotationadjacent said opening, an arcuate housing adapted .to enclose said feedroll, said housing including a fixed top and bottom and two curved sidewalls. one side wall being hingedly secured to the fan housing, a feedtrough hinged for swinging movement in a horizontal plane about the axisof said vertical feed roll, the other of said feed roll housing curvedwalls being secured to the delivery end of said trough, latch meansbetween said hinged curved wall and said fixed curved wall when the feedtrough is in a position parallel to said fan housing, and whereby whenthe feed trough is moved to a position perpendicular to said fan housingthe hinged curved wall may be unlatched and swung to an out of the wayposition and the feed trough may then be swung through a horizontalplane so that it directly contacts the fan housing.

3. In an ensilage blower comprising elongated skid supports, a blowerhousing mounted in parallel position on one end of said skid supports, afeed trough hinged at one end to said blower housing, an adjustable legat the other end of said trough, said leg having means associatedtherewith for fixing the leg in either of two limiting positions, andsaid means including an over-center lock.

4. In an ensilage blower, a fan, a fan housing having an opening in .aside thereof, a vertical axis shaft feed roll mounted for rotationadjacent said opening, a feed trough, a partial housing for said feedroll intermediate said fan housing and said feed trough, hinge meansassociated with said feed trough and said fan housing whereby the feedtrough may swing in a horizontal plane, said feed trough forming acontinuation of said feed roll partial housing when the feed trough ispositioned parallel to said fan housing, said feed roll partial housingbeing pivoted to said fan housing for movement away from feed rollenclosing position, whereby said feed trough may be moved to a positionperpendicular to said fan housing in which case the feed trough itselfforms a complete enclosure of the feed roll without the said partialhousing.

5. In an ensilage blower, a fan, a fan housing having an opening in aside thereof, a paddle feed roll journaled on a vertical shaft forrotation adjacent said opening, a feed trough hinged for swingingmovement in a horizontal plane about the vertical'shaft, a housingforming part of an enclosure for said paddle feed roll and including anarcuate portion supported by said fan housing and a. portionconstituting part of said feed trough, and means for pivotallysupporting the arcuate portion of the housing supported by said fanhousing for movement from feed roll enclosing position when it isdesired to swing the feed trough from a position parallel to said fanhousing to a position perpendicular to said fan housing.

REX B. HITCHCOCK. SAMUEL E. HILBLOM.

